More News

Cash Money executive Birdman downplayed his ongoing feud with Lil Wayne in a lengthy interview with Power 105.1's Angie Martinez, repeatedly calling the rapper his son and denying allegations that he was involved in an April shooting against Weezy's two tour buses. "[That's] the craziest shit I ever heard in my life," said the label boss, emphasizing that he didn't hear about the incident until afterward. "Any nigga gonna bust a gun at Lil Wayne, I got a problem with that... I'd rather a nigga pop at me than pop at my child."

Related

Both Birdman and Young Thug were named in the indictment of Jimmy Carlton Winfrey, who worked as a tour manager for Young Thug. The State of Georgia saddled Winfrey with 30 counts, including aggravated assault, alleging he opened fire on Wayne's bus and later attempted to hide the Camaro he was driving. Neither Birdman nor Young Thug are facing any charges.

Last December, Wayne blasted his mentor on Twitter, claiming Cash Money was refusing to release his long-awaited Tha Carter V LP. He then sued the label for $51 million, demanding to sever ties and be named joint copyright holder on all music released on his Young Money imprint, including material from Nicki Minaj and Drake. Birdman told Martinez that he plans to support Wayne's decision, regardless of what happens. "If he wanna go, I'm gonna respect his call," he said. "That's my son, no matter what."

In February, Wayne revealed to Rolling Stone that he was no longer on speaking terms with Birdman. "I have no words," he stated. "I'm super-numb to it, to tell you the truth." But Birdman told a different story to Martinez, saying he and Wayne have stayed in contact, despite the awkwardness of the reports. He says he talked to the rapper "two days" before the interview.

In part two of the interview, Birdman also denied throwing a drink at Lil Wayne during a performance at Miami nightclub LIV. "I don't know what happened," he said. "I was in my own zone."

Throughout the chat, the Cash Money mogul repeated his respect and fatherly love for Wayne, expressing optimism that they can work out their issues in the long run. "We built this," he said of their hip-hop empire. "That's my partner. I would prefer him to be with me." He also downplayed the severity of their beef: "Ninety percent of that [social media] shit is fake," he said. "Nine-nine percent is not true. . . I feel like, in due time, we're gonna [sit down and talk]. But this ain't the place or the time for that."